Crystal Saga Overview

Crystal Saga is a browser-based, anime-style MMORPG. Players can choose from one of five classes (Knight, Rogue, Mage, Priest, and Ranger), each of which has two specializations. From there, players can then go on quests, tame and train pets, participate in daily events, and even go dungeoning with friends. The game world supports open PvP as well as special daily battlegrounds where players can gain ranks, fame, and rewards.

Crystal Saga Screenshots

Crystal Saga Featured Video

Full Review

Crystal Saga Review

While some MMOs strive for realism, Crystal Saga, published by Reality Squared Games (R2 Games), seeks to follow a more imaginative design. Filled with cute, sometimes chibi-styled enemies and bright, cartoonish graphics, Crystal Saga appears like a mix between The Chosen and Sacred Seasons 2. This browser-based MMORPG offers casual game play with all the bells and whistles, and tons of convenience. But is it charming enough?

A Name and a Face

Character creation in Crystal Saga is very simple. Players may choose a male or female character (by selecting one of ten portraits to represent the character, but choosing a portrait is as far as customization goes. Players then may select one of five classes – Knight, Rogue, Priest, Ranger, or Mage. Once these are selected, and a name is chosen, a character is ready to begin on their journey.

Each class, however, can put points into one of two skill trees: for instance, Knights have access to Retribution (DPS) and Protection (Tank) skill lines. These skill trees offer attacks and passive bonuses geared for both PvE and PvP, as well as a few capstone skills for following a line to its completion. Leveling also grants free stat points which can be assigned to any of five core stats as the player sees fit. After level 30, players can also unlock their “soul” and assign more special stat points to customize their gameplay further.

A World of Story

Crystal Saga is strongly quest-based, and from the first minute in the game, the character will be on a mission most of the time as they level up. There are very few optional or side quests in the game; usually, the player will only have two or three quests at most. The game offers a very clear auto-routing system which allows the gamer to click on the name of an NPC, enemy, or objective (such as a collected item) to route automatically to the next destination, reducing some travel hassle.

Most quests are kill-quests, although a few gathering quests are also in place, and numbers are relatively sane. Most experience will come from quests, and not from grinding on enemies. The experience rate is moderate in the early game – usually the character is just a level behind the quest rewards without an experience boost – although it does slow down and encourage some enemy grinding later on. Luckily, the game also offers an “AFK Battle” system, letting players set conditions on item and skill usage, enemies to fight, and loot settings, then entering an “AFK Protected” mode which allows them to kill monsters endlessly in their local area without being disturbed by player killers. Dungeons are also available for the group-minded.

How Evil Are You?

The world of Crystal Saga also supports open world PvP among players above level 20. Players can be in one of five PvP modes: Peace, Justice, Evil, Guild, and Party. In any of these modes, players can be attacked by other players. Peace mode does not allow the player to attack others, while Justice lets the player hit players only with red names (players who have attacked another recently). Evil is a free-for-all attack mode, while Guild and Party protects those respect groups of players from attacks.

As players gain “PK Levels” through killing others, they will gain a red name and must wait an hour for each PK level to regain their neutral status. Loot can also be earned from players with “red names.” There are a few battlegrounds available, which allow a character to pass the initial honor cap gained from killing other players and gain additional rank and rewards. In short, PvP is inevitable in Crystal Saga.

My Best Friend

A robust pet and mount system lets players of Crystal Saga have suitable companions for battle and getting around the world. Starting at level ten, players can go to Monster Island and tame their first pet, either a bear or an archer. Each pet tamed has its own attributes, stat points (that can be assigned as they level), special skills, and specializations, giving several options for players to match complementary pets to their playstyle. Pets can also be morphed into different maturities and forms.

Likewise, at level 15 players will obtain their first mount through a quest (mounts will also be granted at level 30 and 45 through quests). These mounts come with basic speed, and can be upgraded to more impressive appearances and speeds, through the use of mount tokens, found in the cash shop.

Equip Yourself Right

While most equipment will be found as-is off enemies in the world or dungeons, players can enhance their equipment through two systems: socketing and enhancement. Socketing allows players to insert gems, found in the world and through special items, into their gear to add stats. If an item does not have sockets, sockets can be added through a special item. Enhancement, on the other hand, lets players improve the stats already on a piece of gear by adding special enhancement materials. At certain levels of enhancement, weapons will also gain a special glow. Additionally, players can disenchant items for a chance at materials for either equipment boost.

Final Verdict: Fair

Crystal Saga is a pretty browser game, with small painted areas and an anime-style that varies between cute and serious. The game’s controls, particularly on the keyboard, are great for a browser game, and are designed to improve access to skills, pets, and mounts while reducing the reliance on the mouse to access the interface and combat. However, the game’s automatic systems – which offer a strong casual appeal, as they allow players to spend less time directly on grinding or traveling – are a strong contrast against the game’s serious and inescapable PvP nature. The lack of freedom in many aspects, such as creating a character, customization difference, and optional side quests, along with the slow pace of gaining skills and progress, also drags this game’s fun factor down. Fans of PvP-centric games who would like something browser-based may find this game appealing, but there are better free-to-play MMOs in a similar style available for download.